Years Younger
by The Crafted Enigma
Summary: After a job goes south, Eliot, Parker and Hardison are left in their three, six and nine year old bodies and are slowly loosing their adult memories and maturity. Will the team be able to get them back to their normal ages and restore their memories? This also includes Nate. Rated T for safety.
1. chapter 1: the transformation

_This fanfic also includes Nate, but I don't know how to get his name on the thingie. I **am** new at this people! This doesn't include slash, lemon, or inappropriate activities of any kind. I don't do those. This is just regular leverage misadventures and my honest enjoyment of screwing up my favorite characters to my favorite TV show._ _Also, Eliot is my favorite of my favorites but I tried to keep the focus off of just him. Sorry if I didn't do so good with that._ Rated T for safety.

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The client was a doctor named Catelyn Ebenezer. She came into McRory's as a nervous wreck. It turned out she was creating a formula that can strengthen and replenish the cells in someone's skin. The formula was currently a gas and it was completely unstable. The company that she worked for, Resolutions Co., stole her product and tried to kill her. She barely escaped and immediately went to McRory's. Their job was to get her formula back in her hands and to shut the company down.

 _The Resolutions Co_. _Building_.

"Hardison, hurry up! We don't have all day!" Eliot whisper yelled.

"I'm going as fast as I can. Ya'll got no appreciation. None. You people think all I'm doing is pressing little keys in front of a black screen with little green ones and zeroes. It ain't that easy. I mean- alright we're in." Eliot grunted his acknowledgement and opened the door.

"Where's Parker?" Hardison asked as the door opened. Parker was in the middle of the short hallway going for the room with the can.

"You guys were taking too long." She said with a shrug when they gave her a look.

" _Focus on the job at hand_ , _children_." Nate said. " _Sophie how's everything going_?" Luckily, the mark, Victor Davidson, was asking how she was feeling." _Oh_ , _everything is positively fine_ , _dear_. _Now let's not get ahead of ourselves_." Laughing was heard in the background and if anyone heard Nate's growl, no one said anything. Eliot finished with one unlucky guard and the three of them walked inside the room. Wait. There were three canisters. Dr. Ebenezer said that she only had a little. Eliot narrowed his eyes. There was supposed to be _one small can_ not _three Parker-sized can-ist-ers_.

"They must have duplicated the solution to make more," Hardison said as if reading Eliot's mind.

" _Duplicated what_? _What's the problem_?" Nate spoke over the comms.

"There's three canisters man. Three. One was enough. How the heck are we supposed to get those things out of the building full of security guards without being noticed?"

"Hardison!" Parker whispered from across the room.

"Less talking more lifting." She scolded. Hardison tried to pick one up with little success.

"These things are heavy." He panted. Parker helped him drag it out of the room. Eliot was about to do the same when he sensed someone behind him. He whipped around to see one of the guards trying to sneak up on him. They started fighting but the match was short. All it took was an elbow to his face and a front kick to the solar plexus. Eliot would have seen where he landed but Parker and Hardison was calling for his help. Soon enough, they were down to the last canister which was open. And almost empty. The three stood there looking at their problem as if the slightest movement would cause them to die.

"Wait a second. You're tellin' me that we've been inhaling this unstable, untested, AND UNSAFE _GAS_?" He yelled. Honestly, Eliot and Parker felt like screaming as well. Who knows the effect that that could have on them.

"Shut up Hardison!" Eliot said instead as he took out a roll of duct tape. He started wrapping it around the large can. Hardison and Parker watched while Eliot worked. Soon, it was completely covered.

"Wow." Hardison said. "I shall never doubt rednecks and the power of duct tape again." And together, they brought the last canister to Lucille.

"'Re you callin' me a redneck?"

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Nate and Sophie walked into McRory's, expecting their 'kids' to follow. When they didn't hear Eliot and Hardison arguing over the simplest things or Parker telling them about something that she stole, and then put back immediately because she's a good guy now, they turned to the door. They still had their earpieces in but they didn't hear anything. Not even from Hardison. Suddenly, a groan was heard. They knew it was one of their team, but it didn't sound like it. The two elders of the team ran to Lucille and opened the back doors. They were met with three children. Two presumably sleeping and one, he was darker than the others, feeling his face and then quickly opening a _Squeeze!_ soda that used to be in a secret compartment that only tbe members of Leverage knew about.

"The only one who knows how to access that is-"

"Hardison." Nate finished for Sophie. Hardison turned to Sophie and Nate with a look of shock on his face.

"I'm a kid. Why am I a kid?!" He started freaking out. That seemed to wake the other two up. Parker sat up with a gasp.

"You guys are big." She stated as if they were talking about the weather. Eliot rolled over and groaned. He sat up, hair getting in his face. A look of confusion passed over his face as he looked at Nate and Sophie. Then Parker and Hardison. He then realized what happened.

"Oh, fweakin' cwap," He said.

"Are you three alright?" Nate asked. Eliot, Hardison and Parker nodded.

"Let's get inside. It's much cooler and we can have sandwiches." Sophie said.

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Eliot sat four plates of sandwiches in front of his teammates. Hardison searched his for ketchup.

"Hey, where's the ketchup?" He asked.

"Ya ain't gettin any. I can't weach the cabnits."

He pointed to the cabinets and sat down as well. Nate and Sophie was sitting across from the children. Parker looked distracted, Eliot was rocking side to side subconsciously and Hardison was focused on chomping his ketchup-less sandwich.

"Okay. In order to fix this problem we need to find out how you three turned into children."

"I felt silly. And then I woke up as really little." Parker stated.

"Me too!" Hardison said. They looked at Eliot. He blinked before saying,

"Same as dem. It coulda been da gas."

"What do you mean, 'It could've been the gas'? What gas?" Sophie asked.

"Ohhh, the gas!" Parker said, getting it.

"What gas?" Nate asked. This was getting annoying.

"Ohhh- see now _that_ makes sense!" Hardison said.

"What gas?!" Nate and Sophie exclaimed.

"Geez, we'we tawkin 'bout da stuff dowctow Nezzy made. One of da can dingies opened an' we smelt it. It didn't smewll like anydin' dough."

"Alright. Sophie, you go shopping for things Eliot, Hardison and Parker might need. I'll contact Dr. Ebenezer and stay here to watch these three."

"On it." Sophie said as she grabbed her bag.

"Nate, I'm bored." Parker whined. There wasn't anything to do around here.

"First I'm gonna call Dr. Ebenezer, then we're gonna play a game." Nate said, grabbing the phone.

"Why do we have to do this? I wanna go steal somethin'!" Parker whined.

"Yeah! Why do we hafta sit hewe?"

"We gotta listen to him." Hardison said from the corner of the room. "He's older than us."

"Thank you Hardis-"

"Much older. He's much much much much much older. He's like, ancient. Like, a thousand bagillion years old kinda older. Like, older than Papa smurf older. Like-"

"We get it Hardison- Yes, Mrs. Ebenezer? It's me, Nathan Ford... Yeah we have a situation... Yeah we're gonna need you to come to McRory's... Yes... Alright, see you there." After they took her as a client, Eliot made it his business to keep her safe. She was currently staying in one of his top secret safe houses.

"So what are we gonna do Nate?" Hardison asked. Nate stared at his three new problems. I mean blessings... Nah I mean problems. Eliot, who was sitting, looked about two years old. His little crossed arms were covered by his red jacket which was dragging on the floor like a wedding dress five sizes too big. His thick and messy chestnut colored bangs covered almost all of his two grey-blue eyes which were partaking in his glare slash pout. He had freckles dotting his face, and noticeable eyelashes, at least for a boy. He was half Parker's hight. Maybe a little shorter. Parker, who looked six or seven, was wearing her white 'I heart pretzels' shirt that now dragged on the floor. she had shaggy blonde hair that came to the small of her back and pink little lips. Her wide blue-grey eyes looked impatient and bored and she had a missing tooth. She was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Eliot. Hardison looked nine. Maybe ten. He had a semi afro going on and intelligent brown eyes stared patiently at him. His blue Polo shirt covered his feet and he sat on Eliot's other side, tongue sticking out and game controller in his hands.

"Nate," Parker said. the waiting and silence seemed to be agonizing to her.

"Umm, who wants to play chess?" He got two bland faces and the continuance of the video game in return. The memories were painful, yes, but Nate had to find something to entertain these three. Eliot would go to sharpening knives when he's bored, Parker would try to jump off a building -or a skyscraper-, and Hardison might try to hack the white house. Again.

"How about we play a game?" Two tiny faces lit up like Christmas lights. The loathsome game paused.

"Hide 'n seek?!" Parker exclaimed. She started diving under random objects. Hardison ran around Nate.

"Tag?!" When Eliot didn't throw out a suggestion for a game to play, Nate turned to him.

"What do you want to play Eliot?" He asked. From where Nate was, he couldn't see Eliot's face. But he guessed the fact that he was leaning uncomfortably to the side with his head resting on the arm of the couch where Parker was just moments before, could have been a clue that he was asleep. He laid awkwardly, to where Nate knew that when he woke up, his side would hurt. His hands were under his head like a makeshift pillow and one of them, the left one, was hanging off. Most of his hair was in his face but Nate could see his closed eyes if he stood closer and looked hard. He was also breathing heavily.

"Eliot?" He asked. If Eliot was really sleeping, Nate would have to find a way to wake him up. If he didn't, he might wake up in the middle of the night which wasn't good. An angry cranky _little_ Eliot in the middle of the night? Nate was pretty sure that was more dangerous than an angry Eliot at regular age. He gently shook him.

"Eliot, you awake?" The exhausted little boy shifted and snuggled deeper into the couch pillow.

"Eliot, wake up." Eliot growled and shooed Nate away. It only took a few more tries before Eliot was sitting up, drooping eyes glaring daggers at Nate.

"Do you want to play a game Eliot?" Nate asked.

"No." Eliot growled.

"How about a movie?" Parker squealed. Before long, Hardison had the TV set up.

"So what kind of movie do we want to watch?" Nate asked, not yet getting that the three in front of him don't agree on anything.

"Sci fi!" Hardison yelled

"Thieves!" Parker screamed.

"Axshen! No, Cowboys! No wait Axshen cowboys!" Eliot exclaimed, forgetting about his sleepiness. Nate found a movie that was about cowboy robbers that came in contact with aliens when they tried to destroy earth. The movie was a big let down and even a four year old could tell everything was fake but Nate was happy to know that the children enjoyed making fun of them. This turn of events didn't seem so bad.

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Sophie walked into McRory's expecting, well, anything. But what she didn't expect was silence. She went upstairs to see all the lights off except for the glow of an awful looking movie.

"Nate?" He turned to her and waved. Two tiny heads popped up from behind him.

"Hi Shopie" Parker said.

"You gotta be quiet! Eliot's sleeping!" Hardison whisper yelled. Sophie put the bags down softly.

"He fell asleep?" She asked, not really believing it. _Eliot_ , fell asleep? The one who could sleep ninety minutes then get up and stay awake and perfectly aware for a week or so?

"Yeah. I tried to keep him up but he was exhausted. I guess the ninety minutes of sleep plus the fact that he didn't get sleep the past few nights was too much for his little body. He conked out before the movie reached two minutes."

"I got a bunch of cute outfits for them." Sophie said. "They didn't have any car seats or beds though."

"Where did you go?" Nate asked. They usually had things for toddlers and children at Babies and Toys 'R Us.

"The mall." Sophie replied as she sat down next to Eliot."It's getting late, Nate."

"It's time for bed guys." The children froze and looked at Nate like he just burned their Christmas presents.

"Do we have to?" Hardison asked.

"Yes." Nate said. Then he realized that Parker was gone.

"Where's Parker?" And so bedtime began. They spent twenty minutes looking for Parker before they found her sitting on the couch with a bored Hardison and a sleeping Eliot.

"Parker where were you?!" Nate and Sophie asked at the same time.

"I went to get Bunny."

"Parker, we didn't know where you were! You can't just dissappear like that!"Sophie explained. This day has been pretty stressful. And she was tired.

"Sorry." Parker said quietly. "It's never been a problem before."

"Parker, come here. Give me a hug." She was met with two children and a stuffed bunny.

"I'm bored, let's play a game!" Hardison yelled. "I'll be Hardison, and you'll be Sterlin'."

"What's a Stolen?" Parker asked. Sophie and Nate turned to Parker with looks of shock. "An' what's a Hardison?"

"I'm a Hardison!"

"Nu-uh, you're a Alec! An' he's Eliot, 'n I'm Parker! An' that's Shopie, an' Nate, but who's Stolen?"

"Yeah, what's a Sterlin' again?" Hardison asked.

"Sterling is... well he's like Nate. Evil Nate." Sophie explained, taking Parker's words.

"Evil Nate?!" Parker exclaimed.

"Sshhh! Eliot's asleep." Sophie knew it was highly unlikely but if Eliot was to be woken up, he would be very cranky.

"Kind of. His name is Sterling though."

"A lady just came in. She's asking for you." Amy said from the door. After she helped Parker when she broke her leg, Hardison decided to keep her as, well, help. she knows the most of what they do.

"Thanks Amy. You can bring her up." Amy nodded. Sophie sat on the couch next to Eliot. Nate was busy with Parker, who was on his head, and Hardison, who was wacking him with an empty paper towel roll.

"Umm, Mr. Ford?"

"Dr. Ebenezer, come on in."

"What's the problem? Where's the rest of your team?"

"That's the problem." Nate pointed to the children. "That's Alec, Parker, and the sleeping one's Eliot."

"They inhaled the gasses?"

"Yup!" Hardison said.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to fix this. The formula was made to mix with the human body's epidermis (skin cells). It was supposed to strengthen it. I don't know how to restore it to normalcy. Your teammates are going to have to age again." Sophie and Nate shared a worried glance.

"They're also forgetting things." Sophie said.

"That's not good. That means their brains are being effected as well. Their memories will either become dreams, thoughts, or sometimes things that they aren't so sure happened, people they knew will be friends and cousins and sometimes, if they're really close, uncles and/or aunts, and what and who they knew when they were adults are gonna become warped and change. For example, pretty soon, they might see you as their parents. Their overall skill shouldn't be impacted by this, just their cerebrum (brain) and their body." She turned to the children.

"How old are you two?"

"Nine." Hardison said

"I'm six!" Parker yelled. Eliot jerked a little but didn't wake up. Dr. Ebenezer glanced at him.

"Eliot?" Parker whispered. Eliot groaned and turned his head away from her.

"How old are you?" She talked in her regular voice now. Eliot turned over, growling.

"Eliot!" Parker whisper yelled. Eliot held out three fingers and let his arm fall on his head.

"He's three."

"Are you sure?" Parker nodded.

"He's short." She said. Eliot growled.

"Well thank you for your time Dr. Ebenezer." Sophie said.

"No problem. I'm sure everything will turn out fine with your teammates."

"Thank you."

"I'll show you out." Nate volunteered.

"I'll put the kids to B-E-D." Nate nodded. After he left, Sophie turned to her 'children'. Hardison was wedged in between the couch pillow and the arm of the couch with his arm around Parker. Parker was curled up besides him and her head was on his chest. Eliot was laying on the other side of the couch with his left arm and leg hanging off of it, and his right arm on his chest. Everyone was fast asleep. Nate came up stairs, and hand in hand, Nate and Sophie looked at their new problems. Nah I mean blessings. And they knew, that no matter what happened, everything was going to be alright.

 _Of course I'm gonna continue it_. _At least I'll try_. _But you people have to leave ideas and suggestions for another chapter_. _Thank you for your time_. _Also_ , _I know that in my first Eliot fanfic_ , _he didn't learn how to talk until he was seven but with the knowledge he has now_ , _he was able to say things_. _He can't speak well though, as you can see_. _T_ _c T Don't you give me that look_.


	2. chapter 2: Day 1

_Alright, people. Chapter two is completed. I am so sorry for the wait. My computer broke down, then all of my info got deleted, so I had to start all over again. But, the chapter's here and ready to be criticized and commented on! Thank you for your patience!_

Usually, mornings at McRory's would go something like this...

 _Nate would wake up, take care of dental hygiene and all of that, and come down the stairs to see Eliot making something that smells delicious, and Parker sitting on the couch, watching cartoons. At that moment, Hardison would come in blabbering either about a new gadget he made, or about what he found on their new mark. Sophie would come in minutes later, and by then, breakfast would be ready. They would eat, tease each other, and get ready for the day._

Now, with Eliot, Parker and Hardison as children (who apparently don't get along on anything) their morning went something like this...

"Everybody wake up! I'm hungry!" Parker screamed.

"Hungry or hangry?" Hardison teased.

" _Alec_!" Parker screamed again.

"Go 'way! I ain't gonna geddup!" Eliot yelled, voice heavy with sleep.

Nate woke up to that. He looked to his right to see the same thing woke up Sophie.

"Well, this is going to be difficult," She said.

 _"Say dat again punk! I will wip youw fweakin' head off!"_

 _I didn't even say anything to you, fool!"_

 _"Feed me or I'll eat you!"_

 _"You're a psychopath!"_

 _"Yeah, pshycho!"_

"Better intervene," Nate said, sitting up. When they got to the living room, Eliot was on top of Hardison's head, 'fighting him', the rest of Hardison was chasing, (or running from, it was hard to tell) Parker, and said thief somehow got her hands on a lighter. That was lighted.

"What's going on here?!" Sophie shouted, taking on the mother role. All, except for Eliot's pounding, stopped, and the three looked at Sophie. She looked really, un-Sophie-like with her hair undone and no makeup on, and her outfit being one of Nate's shirts and a robe on top. Nate looked pretty much the same as always.

"He cawed me a foow!"

"He called me a punk!"

"They both called me a psychopath! And I'm hungry!"

"No one in here is a fool, a psychopath, or a punk. You all know better. Sophie? Do they have toothbrushes?"

"Yes! I went to this cute little store in the corner of the mall and they had the most adorable clothes! And they happened to have a few toothbrushes for sale. I'll go get them!" Sophie exclaimed, turning and elegantly going up the stairs. When she was gone from view, Nate turned to the two- wait, where was Eliot? Nate looked around and quickly found him standing on a chair trying to turn on the stove.

"Eliot, no!" He said, running and taking him off of the chair. After making sure the stove was off, he crossed his arms and looked at Eliot with a stern face.

"I'm makin' bweakfist." Eliot said, crossing his own arms. Nate sighed and rubbed his hand on his face.

"Eliot, why don't we order out?" He asked, hoping that Eliot would agree.

"Don't twust 'em. Dey'd do anydin' fow a million bucks." Eliot said, narrowing his eyes.

"Most people would do anything for a million bucks, Eliot." Nate sighed again.

"I don't like 'em. I saw a wat in dewe Nate. A _wat_." Parker snickered.

"What about pizza?!" She asked.

"I do luf peessa," Eliot said, deeply considering it.

"Silyan?" He asked.

"Fine." Nate said.

"No! Sicilian pizza has too much cheese! Regular!" Parker said, pouting.

"No one even asked me if I wanted pizza! Guess what... I don't!" Hardison said with yet another game in his hands.

"I ain't eatin' peessa if I ain't gettin' Silyan!" Eliot yelled.

"Then don't eat!" Parker yelled back.

" _You_ don't eat!"

"I'm gonna eat you!"

" You'we Cwazy!"

"Guys!!" Nate yelled. He felt a headache coming on.

"If you don't stop, no one's eating anything!" He knew it was an empty threat, but they believed it.

"No food?! And you're not evil Nate?!" Hardison asked, semi-sarcastically.

"I don' wanna see Nate's evil twin." Parker whispered to Eliot.

"Nate has an efiw twin?!" Eliot asked, shocked. Just then, Sophie came down with three toothbrushes.

"Apparently, they only had superman for boys, and Barbie for girls. But they were so small, I just had to get them." The three mini thieves stood stock still.

"Superman?!" The boys said in unison. They shared looks of disgust.

" _Barbie_?" Parker asked, equally appalled. Sophie sighed and glanced at Nate.

"Do you know how wrong this is? Do you know how wrong... _it_ is? She doesn't know, does she?" Hardison asked, trying to keep his squeaky voice calm. He turned to Eliot in disbelief.

"Supewman's a fweakin' weaklin'! You expect me ta avewtise this conspiwacy? Awe you cwazy lady?!" Eliot 'explained'.

"He literatly falls to upmost weakness when you bring a gem near him. A piece of jewelry! It's terrible! Big buff man, falls like a rock 'cause of a crystal! And no one can beat 'im in a fight! It's just... _sad_ , man." Hardison said, shaking his head. Eliot crossed his arms (again) and held his head high.

"I could take 'im."

"Barbie is a pretty dunce. Nevermind, she's just a dunce." Parker said, also crossing her arms.

"Guys, come on, act your age... nevermind. Just, go brush your teeth. And get dressed!" Eliot growled something under his breath, which sounded a lot like things people under eighteen shouldn't be saying, and snatched his toothbrush from Sophie, who smiled at him. After teeth were brushed and clothes were stuffed on, they went to pile into Lucille, but they realized there were no car seats.

"No cawseats." Eliot said unhelpfully. He had a big smirk.

"We can see that." Nate said, keeping his voice calm. He was getting too old for this. Tiny versions of the already slightly annoying younger teammates were just too stressful.

"We can't leg'lly go nowhere widdout cawseats, y'know." Eliot said, his smile getting bigger.

"We _know_ that, Eliot." Nate said, losing his patience.

"Why do we have to do it legally? We're criminals, aren't we?" Parker asked. Eliot glared at her.

"You do make a point." Hardison said. He got a glare as well.

"Alright. Sophie, you're going to have to hold Eliot on your lap. Hardison? You have Parker."

"I'm fine with that." Hardison said, grinning at the thought. Eliot, on the other hand, scowled like he had to wear a suit and say 'jolly good sir' for an hour. He planned to make the ride miserable. Fifteen minutes into the car ride to the nearest Panera Bread (Sophie didn't want to go to a franchise-y franchise, and when the words 'mac 'n cheese' were spoken, Parker and Hardison were for Panera Bread) Eliot started wiggling.

"What is it, Eliot?" Sophie sighed. _She_ never signed up to hold him, the least he could do was make it easy for the both of them.

"Pull ovew." The toddler commanded to Nate.

"Why?" Parker whinned.

"We're almost halfway there!" Hardison argued.

"What's wrong?" Nate asked, glancing at him from the rear view mirror.

"I godda _pee_ , why da cwap do you cawe!" He hissed, crossing his tiny arms and glaring around the van.

"Language." Sophie warned.

"Why didn't you go at McRory's?" It was Nate's turn to sigh.

"'Cause I ain't fweakin' had ta go, _dat's_ why!" Was his sharp reply.

"Can you wait?" Sophie asked, instinctively holding him away from her rather expensive skirt.

"No! I hafta _pee_!" Eliot yelled. Nate pulled over and got out of the driver's seat at the same time Eliot burst out of the door. Nate went to accompany the young hitter but Eliot had other plans.

"What da heck do ya dink you'we doing?" Eliot asked, looking up at him. Apparently, in Eliot's mind, he was a fully grown adult person; not a three year old in need of parental guidance and assistance.

"Right, well, don't take too long." Nate said. Eliot glared, turned on his heel, and hurried to his bush. A couple minutes later, he came out and headed towards Lucille without a word. The car restarted and they were off again. about five minutes later, Eliot spoke again.

"Cwap!"

"What is it now, Eliot?" Sophie asked.

"I fowgot my dackit." He pouted. A couple of loud sighs were heard from the resident hacker and thief.

"At McRory's?" Nate glanced at him through the rear view mirror, clearly annoyed.

"No, at the bush!"

"How'd you forget your jacket at the bush you peed in?" Parker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nunya beeswax!"

"I just wanna eat. Is that too much to ask?" Hardison muttered to himself.

"We hafta tuwn awound!" Eliot said. Nate gave in and turned around. Now, by the time they made it to the bush, they would've been at Panera Bread, eating blessed food with no worries whatsoever. Eliot jumped out of the car and searched all of the bushes near the area before he found his miniature leather jacket. After making sure that no one else had to use the bathroom and Eliot had everything he needed, they headed off. Again. When they finally made it to Panera Bread, it was ten thirty.

"Food! Blessed food! Oh, how much I love you!" Hardison yelled, scrambling out of the car with Parker and Eliot at his heels. When they got inside, they were met with a line that went to the door.

" _WHHYYYYYYYYYY???!!!_ " Hardison fell to his knees. At that moment, Nate and Sophie came in.

"Hmm, looks like they'we bizzy today. Maybe we should just go back home." Eliot said with a triumphant smirk.

"No!" Parker screamed. "I want food!"

"Parker, sshhh!" Sophie said. People were starting to stare.

"Yeah, Parkew, shuddup!" Eliot said.

You can't tell Parker to shut up!"

"I c'n tell Pawkew whaddevah the heck I wanna tell Pawkew!"

"You can't tell me to shut up!"

"Shuddup!!"

" _No!_ "

"You shut up!"

"Everybody shut up!" Nate yelled. More people were staring and glaring, shaking their heads and taking their children away from the area. At least it's quiet, Nate thought. Parker was sitting on the floor with her back to Nate, making herself as small as possible. Eliot was next to her, glaring at nothing with his mouth in a thin line, and Hardison had taken out another game to distract himself. Sophie spared Nate an accusing glance and he realized that he hurt the tiny trio. Especially Parker, considering her past. He walked in font of them, then turned around so he was facing them. Hardison gave Nate an incriminating glance before looking back at his game. Parker inched away from him and buried her head in her arms. Eliot glared at Nate with crossed arms.

"Guys, you have to move up. You're holding up the line." Sophie rolled her eyes. _Men_.

"No." Parker said, her voice muffled.

"Parker," Nate sighed. Eliot glared harder.

"She said _no_."

"...Guys, I didn't mean to yell. You were all just a little loud, and you weren't listening, so..." Nate trailed off, looking at the mini theives. Eliot's glare softened a tad as he looked at Hardison.

"Whaddaya say, Awec? Was dat an apowogy?"

"It was a little wack, very shabby, and had no style whatsoever, but I guess it could be an apology." Hardison said, putting his game away. Eliot nodded, smirking. He turned back to Nate and addressed Parker.

"What about you, Pawkew?" Parker lifted her head and expertly stood up.

"Hmmm, I say since he's paying for our food, we should let it slide just this once." Eliot's smirk widened.

"I agwee." Nate stood back up. Did... did they just... _con_ him?! The children moved up, giving each other high-fives.

"You know they just conned you, right?" Sophie said, standing next to him. Nate nodded.

"I played right into it."

"They're better than the both of us." After breakfast, which Eliot enjoyed because of all the teenage girls cooing over him, Nate decided to take the team to Babies R Us to get car seats and beds. Parker looked at all of the car seats and frowned.

"How do you move in these?" Hardison rolled his eyes.

"You don't, Parker. These are meant to keep a child seated while the vehicle is moving." He said. He was about to go into a deeper explanation but was interrupted by Eliot.

"Dewe's no space to move in those things?! Nu-uh! I'd wadew sit on Sopie." Sophie grumbled incoherently.

"Eliot, you're getting a car seat. End of discussion." Nate said.

"No, I ain't. End of dishcussion." Eliot shot back, once again crossing his arms.

"If Nate said 'end of discussion' first, technically you're starting a new discussion." Hardison said.

" _Shuddup_ , Alec." Eliot growled.

"He has a point, you know." Parker chirped.

"I don' cawe! It's da end of dishcussion when I _say_ it's da end!"

"But-"

"End of dishcussion!"

"Guys, calm down." Nate was right about that headache. He rubbed his temples.

"Just... pick a seat." He mumbled, head in his hand. Sophie patted his back reassuringly. Random seats were thrown into the carts. Then came the beds.

"I want a Spiderman bed!"

"There ain't no such thing as a Spiderman bed, girl! You get a random bed, you get a Spiderman bedsheet. That's how it goes!"

"If she c'n get a Spidewman bed, den I c'n a Batman bed!"

"Did you not hear what I just said?! That's not how you do it! Random bed, your style bedsheet! That's it! That's all you do! You don't hear me runnin' around talkin' 'bout 'ooh! I want a Iron man bed'! They don't have it!" He turned to Nate and Sophie.

"Do they?" Sophie shrugged as Nate looked around.

"Parker?!" Nate asked. She was no where to be found.

"She has to stop doing this." Sophie muttered, looking at the vents.

"I'll find hew!" Eliot ran off.

"Dude, wait for me!" Hardison followed him.

"Guys! Wait!" Nate said, running after them. They found Parker hanging from one of the lights. She saw a bunk bed that was, in fact, Spiderman designed. Sophie almost gagged at the atrocious thing. Eliot had found a Batmobile styled bed, and Hardison was looking at a random bed.

"Spiderman." Parker whispered. She jumped down from the light.

"Well, it _is_ random." Hardison said.

"It's Batman, and it's a caw, all it's missin' is a pwetty lady." Eliot said, eyes wide.

"That ain't right, man. That just ain't right coming from someone of your age." Hardison said, shaking his head. Nate looked at the three beds. He knew he had a ton of money, but this stuff was expensive. And he had to keep in mind bedsheets, work areas, food shopping, toys, and games.

"Um, Hardison do you mind sharing with Parker?" The three tiny thieves looked at him blankly.

"Why does everyone keep saying Hardison?! Who the heck is Hardison?! And why is he sleeping with me?!" Parker exclaimed.

"Again. Not right. Not right on _any_ level." Hardison repeated.

"Alec, would you be okay with taking the bottom of Parker's bunk, dear?" Sophie corrected.

"Sure! I'm fine with that!"

"Great. Let's go pay for all of this stuff."

"Why are we paying for this stuff?! We're _thieves_!! We _steal_!!" People started looking again. Nate covered Parker's mouth and patted her hair a little too hard.

"She likes Robin Hood! Very much, apparently."

"No I don't!" Came the muffled response. Sophie bent down to her ear.

"If you're quiet, I'll let you steal all of the bedsheets." Parker immediately shut up. She ended up stealing everything, as well as new toothbrushes and a chocolate smoothie.

"You got some sticky fingers, girl." Hardison commented. They left the store and headed over to Toys R Us, which was right next to Babies R Us and brought a ton of Legos, Tonka trucks, toy cowboys, Indians, a cowboy suit, a horse head on a stick, drones, computers, phones, and stole a trampoline, a gymnastics bar, a trapeze, and a tiny black jumpsuit. They headed home and started on the beds. And by 'they' I mean Nate.

"Alright, so A1 connects with C3 and B1? And where's F7?" He sighed, putting down the pieces to Parker and Hardison's bed. Eliot had stopped galloping up and down the hall and stopped in front of the room. The other two joined him shortly and they watched Nate with big eyes. Nate heard the buzz of a robot and felt something tug on his pant leg. He looked down and saw a drone that pointed to the doorway. Hardison had a controller and used it to make the drone fly back over to them. Parker waved, already in her jumpsuit. Eliot had taken off his cowboy hat and tucked it under his arm.

"A1 connects wit B12. And B12 goes wit C23." He said, finding his cowboy boots very interesting.

"You want any help, Nate?" Hardison asked.

"I can pull up a manual, or a video or something."

"I can use a hammer!" Parker said, holding up the hammer that was once in his hands. Nate chuckled

"Sure, you guys can help." Eliot started on his bed occasionally giving instructions with a growl, Parker banged on everything with the hammer, and Hardison read the instructions out loud before just pulling up the video. By the time they were done, the sun had set, and they were all drinking Sophie's not-so-bad lemonade.

"So," Hardison started.

"What's for dinner?"

"I say pizza!" Parker chirped.

"Silyan." Eliot said.

"No Sicilian! I want regular!"

"Well, I don't want pizza at all! Once again, you people forget to ask Alec!"

"Don' talk about youwself in da dird pewson. It's fweakin' _cweepy_ , man."

"Pizza!"

"Takeout!"

"Dey haf _wats_!"

"Ya scared?!"

"I'll show you scawed!!" Nate sighed again as the three tackled each other. What did he get himself into?


End file.
